We—the global community—have lived with two years of unknowns, fear, lockdowns, masking, social distancing, remote work (that part has been nice, especially the comfy pants), and a level of anxiety most of us have never felt. It’s probably safe to say that none of us wants to experience a global pandemic again in our lifetimes.
The scary part is...we may. Unless we start preparing now.
This may be the silver lining and opportunity of the current pandemic. If we act now, the global community—governments, private and public sectors, philanthropy, and citizens everywhere—has a chance to learn from this pandemic so the world can prevent the next one.
You won’t be surprised that Bill Gates has been thinking about this for a long time and used his lockdown time efficiently to write up a plan on how to prevent the next pandemic. Our team at the Gates Foundation recently hosted a learning session with Bill Gates and leaders in public health, including Dr. Scott Dowell, Dr. Tom Frieden, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, and Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo. They came together to discuss what the world has learned from COVID-19 and what role philanthropy can and should play to prepare for—and even prevent—the next one.
From a fireside chat with Bill Gates, to a panel discussion moderated by Gabrielle Fitzgerald with prominent disease and global health experts, to personal reflections from Giving Pledge signatories, this video has it all.
We’re excited to share this exclusive session with all of you and to announce the launch of our Preventing the Next Pandemic Fund. Stay tuned for more details!
